Every successful pitcher develops a variety of sequences to get hitters out. In high school, most pitchers throw fastballs until they get two strikes, curveballs until 3-2, and then another fastball. Not very scientific, but it works pretty well-especially if you have a good fastball.

When pitchers move into college or minor league baseball they suddenly need a change-up. They then begin the long process of developing this key pitch. Most pitchers can't pitch in college or beyond with just two pitches.

Once a pitcher has reasonable command of at least three pitches he can begin to develop sequences and pitch to hitters' weaknesses.

Every successful pitcher pays attention to hitters' tendencies and habits. Most hitters have definite patterns on specific pitches and specific counts. Some, for example, will overswing and swing at everything with men on base. Others will become conservative and look for perfect pitches to hit (down the middle) in that same situation. We have seen far too many pitchers (even big leaguers) who try to throw five, six, even seven different pitches when they don't have command of any of them. Three basic pitches-a fastball, a breaking ball, and a change-up - are all that is necessary to pitch in the major leagues. Did you know that almost every pitcher in the Hall of Fame threw only three different pitches?

It takes many years to develop several sequences that are effective against good hitters. In the beginning, stay with the basics for best results (see the Direction Drill and its variations).

      First Pitch                       Follow-up Pitch
Fastball in                   Fastball away
Fastball in                   Curveball away
Fastball down the middle      Change-up down the middle
Curve down the middle         Curve over the middle but lower
Two-seam fastball at the knees Four-seam fastball letter-high

For a more detailed discussion of pitch sequences, refer to my book Play Better Baseball (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1993).

Keeping the ball down Most hitters hit the ball better when it is belt-high and above. For these hitters it is simply a matter of "finishing" your pitches and keeping the ball down in the strike zone and changing speeds occasionally. Concentrate on taking your head down as you release the ball.

Other hitters (and most who hit with power) will try to pull the ball with a strong tendency to uppercut and hit the ball in the air. Almost without exception you can get these hitters out by keeping the ball away (on the outside half of the plate). This type of hitter is very vulnerable to breaking pitches and change-ups.

The best way to approach any hitter is to stay ahead in the count. This starts with throwing the first pitch for a strike. Be honest with yourself and rate your pitches: What is your best pitch? What pitch do you have the best control of? What pitch needs the most work?

Everybody is uptight when facing an exam, speaking in public, or playing a game in front of others. It is a completely normal reaction. Even major league stars get nervous and tight when the heat is on.

Many athletes fail because they think negative thoughts: "I hope I don't walk this guy." "If I give up a home run now we'll lose."

"Good players are usually a little cocky; you must believe In yourself when the game is on the line." Rome Fingers

Train your mind to concentrate solely on positive thoughts that are very task-specific; that is, think about the pitch that you are about to make and nothing else. For instance, a pitcher might think, "I see my curveball breaking down at the knees and hitting the glove and the umpire's right arm going up and calling it a strike" or "I'm throwing my fastball on the inside corner, and I see the hitter swing and pop it straight up in the infield." The more detail that each image contains, the better. You will soon be able to recall these positive images easily and the negative self-talk and visualization for the most part will be banished from your mind.

Confidence takes time. Knowing that you have outworked the competition and are prepared to succeed will help you a great deal. It you have thrown your curve-ball at the knees many times in your drills, it will be easier in the game.

Keep your thoughts focused on the task at hand, and remember: You are as good as you think you are.

Pitchers at all levels have trouble in the first inning. Physical preparation is key to overcoming this problem. A structured warm-up such as the following will help prepare you for the game. The distances and number of pitches should be adjusted to your age group (your coach will help you with this).

General warm-up (15-20 minutes) Stretch the major muscle groups thoroughly (10 minutes); then do some jogging (3 minutes) and light sprints (5-50 yard sprints at half-speed).

Throw long (about 5 minutes) Begin with 10 throws at 50 feet (just in front of the mound); next, make 10 throws at 70 feet (just behind the mound); then, while working back to a distance of about 90 feet, make 10 additional throws. Refer to the Throw-Long Drill for mechanical suggestions to help this warm-up procedure.

Mound warm-up Begin by throwing all of your pitches. Let's say you throw a fastball, a curveball, and a change-up. Throw three fastballs, three curveballs, and three change-ups down the middle. Next, throw two fastballs on the inside corner and two on the outside corner (have the catcher set up on each corner). Then throw three curveballs down the middle. For your change-up, alternate fastball and change four times down the middle.

You are now ready for the final stage of the warm-up. Pretend to pitch to two left-handed and two right-handed hitters. Have your catcher give you signs, move to the corners on fastballs, and stay in the middle on change-ups. Depending on the count, he may move to the outside corner on the curveballs.

Concentrate on keeping the ball down and throwing strikes. Put pressure on yourself to make quality pitches. It's a good idea to have a teammate stand in at the plate during the final sequence of pitches.

You have now completed a standard mound warm-up of 35-45 pitches (a total of 7-8 minutes) and should be ready to begin the game. It is always a good idea to take a 4-5-minute break before going to the mound, but this is a matter of personal preference. Don't overreact either way if you are very good or very bad during your warm-ups. I have seen major leaguers have terrible warm-ups and then throw shutouts.

When you know the lineup that you are facing, work the final stage against those hitters, visualizing them in the box. Always see yourself as successful, throwing nothing but strikeouts, weak grounders, and pop-ups.

This pregame warm-up also can be used as a drill in the off-season or on a practice day.